[trigger/isobar goes to SxSW]Uno de Waal: SxSW Interactive is primarily a conference attended by the tech-set. However, SXSW also sees a lot of people attending from the non-technical side, such as branding, strategy and marketing. Often the two overlap, and often we need different metaphors from different industries to explain things. The most interesting of these metaphors came from the brands as APIs, content publisher discussions and the way we measure ROI in social media talks.

[New Media FIPP Blog]Rose Cohen: Despite the drive towards digital media, worldwide research consistently demonstrates that magazines are still the medium consumers trust the most and are inspired by. Nicholas Coleridge, VP of Condé Nast International, UK made this message abundantly clear in his presentation to delegates on the second day of the 38th annual FIPP World Magazine Congress in New Delhi, India, this week.

[New Media FIPP Blog]Rose Cohen: The first FIPP World Magazine Congress was held in Paris 38 years ago. Now, in 2011, it has made its way to India for the first time (or as Aroon Purie, chairman of FIPP, put it in his opening address: “It’s about time”).

[Abey Mokgwatsane] I was at the Mail & GuardianTop 200 South Africans launch last week. I was there because I was fortunate enough to make the list in this year’s business category. This, however, is not about me; it’s about the incredible people I met that day. I mean, what else could I ask for? Two hundred, young, bright minds in one place.

[Marion Scher] When I started out as a freelancer 100 years or so ago that’s what I was - a freelance journalist. No one queried that title or said “Is that all you do?” other than some family members enquiring as to when I would be getting a proper job!

[Dale Imerman] Want to learn the secrets influential leaders are sharing about challenges facing the world economy, business, government and society? In a series of blog posts, I’ll serve you all the knowledge I got from the Discovery Invest Leadership Summit - on a silver platter.

[Gill Moodie] Like Paris Hilton, I had occasion to frequent a South African court house this past week. It might have been a simpler affair if I too had been nicked on the wrong side of a dagga cloud but, alas, I was paying a traffic fine for a lapsed car-licence disc.

[Anice Hassim] SAN FRANCISCO: Day two, Tuesday, 8 June 2010, was a far more serious affair at WWDC, with the 5200 developers buckling down to soaking up as much time as they can with the some 1000 Apple engineers on site here at Moscone West.

[Marion Scher] Recently I judged a journalism award for a large pharmaceutical company based on a very serious health issue. Most of the entries were of a very high standard and I was enjoying being educated with the latest news on the fight against this illness. That was, until I got to the final entry.